By: ENG Osama Abbas, IBECE
Glazed Façades in high-rise buildings are associated with Iconic architectural trends developed by world-renowned architects in quest of clean sleek looking surfaces created by the glass. Additionally, the glass offers panoramic unobstructed views, hence enhancing the monetary value of the property itself.
Daylight running through the glazing floods the internal space and connects the outside to the inside, creating a sense of well-being within the space. It increases energy efficiency by reducing the constant need for artificial lighting. Glass is quite a durable material. When specified and built properly, it can stand the test of time even in harsh environments with little upkeep.
While the façade market offers an abundant variety of façade system solutions, Unitized, Semi-Unitized and Stick curtain walls form the bulk of any high-rise building. Façade engineers should be well adept at selecting the right façade system suiting their project’s needs.
From a design standpoint, unitized systems are most appreciated when:
• the building induces horizontal and vertical movements that need to be assimilated by the façade system. Movements could vary from being differential to being overall, resulting from seismic/wind sway, gravity or thermal loads,
• exceptional performance against water penetration and air infiltration is requested, this is achieved via multi-gaskets and chambers within the system.
• From a structural standpoint, since the profiles are made of well-proportioned boxes (rather than slender boxes as in Unitized Systems), the structural capacity of the profiles within the façade is comparatively higher. We can see that relatively high, or panel-wide, façades are constructed from stick curtain walls with aluminium profiles, and sometimes with steel profiles, for that reason.
Glass façades can be customised to meet specific performance requirements by incorporating a range of technologies into their construction fabric. Here are some approaches to designing glass façades to meet particular performance needs:
• Reduce the conduction of precious cooled air from inside the building – throughout the façade – towards the outside (in cooling-dominated climates), or
• Reduce the conduction of precious warmed air from inside the building – throughout the façade – towards the outside (in heating-dominated climates)
Environmental and sustainability impacts of glass façades:
Potential solutions to mitigate environmental and sustainability impacts:
The glass façade design is constantly evolving, with emerging trends gaining popularity in recent years. One trend is the use of dynamic shading in combination with electrochromic glass, which allows the façade to change its thermo-optical characteristics in response to external elements such as solar radiation, wind speed and surface temperatures. This technology allows for the creation of smart glass façade s that continuously optimises energy performance and enhances user comfort.
Another trend is the use of biophilic design principles, which incorporate natural elements and materials into the built environment to promote human health and well-being. In glass façade design, this can include plant life, water features, or natural patterns to create a more calming and natural indoor environment. From an Energy generation perspective, glazed façades incorporating Building Integrated Photo Voltaics (BIPVs) are gaining momentum as technological advancements are well underway to deliver high-power output BIPVs. Finally, reducing the carbon footprint of glazed façades is gaining momentum as major suppliers are heavily investing to reduce the embodied carbon within their construction, all supporting the carbon net-zero initiative.
As glass façades’ design moves towards the future, the focus will be on achieving a balance between aesthetics, energy performance, user comfort, and sustainability. This will require an integration of emerging technologies, and design principles, to create innovative and functional glass façade s that meet the evolving needs of building occupants and the environment.
By: Abdul | November 24, 2023
By: Abdul | November 21, 2023
By: Abdul | November 20, 2023
By: Abdul | November 10, 2023
By: Abdul | November 9, 2023